Table football game



w. M. WYLIE 2,069,514

TABLE FOOTBALL GAME Feb. 2,1937.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1934 Q mm M. I 19-92 0 M6 Q N wgggggga gpwwo oo" 3% 3 WM W o fix W Smaentor MAL/4M M VVfl/E v Ottorneg Feb. 2, 1937. w w 2,069,514

TABLE FOOTBALL GAME Filed Feb. 26, 1934 2 Sheets$heet 2 IIIIIHE f 13: F16. 6Q Illllfifi Ilium;

c l Snnenfor 5 l l zu/w M M Gttorneg Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UiiED STATS 6 Claims.

My invention relates to table football games, and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a game of this class which simulates graphically the game of football and which is so arranged that a number of the rules of the outdoor game of football may be incorporated into the table game;

Second, to provide a game of this class in which the element of chance is reduced to a minimum, successful playing of the game being largely dependent upon knowledge of the outdoor game of football and the exercise of judgment, alertness and concentration of thought, as well as mechanical skill in operating certain elements of the game;

Third, to provide a game of this class wherein the players are moved in a manner analogous to the game of chess or checkers yet retaining the characteristic movements followed in the outdoor game of football;

Fourth, to provide a game of this class which incorporates a novel means of simulating passes and kicks utilized in the outdoor game of football, and

Fifth, to provide on the whole .a novelly constructed table football game which is durable, and which may be readily stored.

With these and other objects in View as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the game board with the game members shown in position thereon and illustrating the auxiliary alleyway utilized in connection with the plays made on the game board; Fig. 2 is another perspective view on a somewhat larger scale of the kick and pass directing device used in the game; Fig. 3 is a partial elevatio-nal partial sectional view of the rolling alley or play determining means taken substantially through 33 of Fig. 4; Fig. i is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view thereof through 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end view of the game board and rolling alley with the cover thereof in a partially raised position; Fig. 6 is a top view; Fig. 6a a side view; Fig. 6b a bottom View of a player member; Fig. 7 is a top View; Fig. 7a is a side view of a linesman or marker; Fig. 8 is a top view; Fig. 8a a side view of the football representing member; Fig. 9 is a left figure;

90. a right figure of the down indicator; Fig. 10 is an elevatio-nal view of the ball member used in the rolling alley.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

Game board l, goals 2, rolling alley 3, cover member 4, box member 5, ball 5, player disks 1, markers 3, down indicator 9, scoring disks l0, stand H, chute I2, and football representing member i3, constitute the principal parts and portions of my novel table football game.

The game board I is flat and rectangular. Said game board is divided into a multiplicity of squares, each square representing one yard of the field utilizedin the outdoor game of football. For convenience the game board may be made somewhat smaller than a true scale reduction of the conventional field. At each end of the game board there is provided a goal 2 comprising two posts connected by a cross member simulating the goal posts used in the outdoor game of football. Between these posts the game board is also marked to imitate the conventional yard lines of the football field.

Along one side of the game board I there is provided a rolling alley 3 which comprises a bottom portion 3a which is integral with the game board, and parallel disposed side walls 31) extending the length of the game board. The rolling alley is open at its ends but may be closed when not in use by a cover member 4. Said cover is hinged to the upper margin of one of the side walls 3?). The ends of the cover member 4 are provided with depending portions adapted to close the ends of the rolling alley so that the cover when in position forms with the rolling alley a closed container.

If desired, the game board may be made of flexible material adapted to be wrapped around the rolling alley and the cover member so as to reduce the space required for storing the same.

The rolling alley receives a box member 5 comprising a thin bottom wall 5a and side walls 52) delineating a rectangle. One end forming portion of the side wall 51) is provided with a door 50. The bottom 5a of the box member extends forwardly thereof beyond the door 50 to form a. forecourt 5d. Said court is provided with a plurality of perforations 56 therein. The door 5c may be provided with a flexible gate member the player is good, as will be brought out in more detail hereinafter; but should the ball stop in any one of the perforations tee a penalty is prescribed.

The rolling alley is used to simulate snapbacks, forward passes, and lateral passes which are the actions in the outdoor game involving throwing or passing the ball from man to man. As the passer in the outdoor game must throw the ball so that it may be received by the man for whom it is intended, so the offensive player must shoot the ball so that it is received by the movable box in the alley. Thus, if the ball goes into the box the snap-back or pass is considered con plete, namely, the ball is considered to be caught by the man for whom it was intended. On the other hand, if the ball does not go into the box, there is considered to be either a fumble, incomplete pass, or intercepted pass depending on the attempted play,.the final position of the ball, and the positions of the defensive men. As in the outdoor game, the longer the pass, the harder it is to complete since the distance the ball is rolled varies according to the distance the ball is supposed to be passed on the board.

The game is played with a number of player disks 1, there being. eleven such player disks representing each team. In addition to the player disks there are two disk-shaped markers 8 and a down indicator 9 in the form of 'a short four sided post or block. The player disks '1 are printed on one side to indicate their positions, such as quarterback, left guard, etc- On the opposite side each player disk is provided with an oval-shapedmarking to designate, when this side is uppermost, that this player has the ball. The markers may be marked LM to indicate that theyare, linesmen, and these markers are placed along the side of the game board in the positions occupied by linesmen in the, outdoor game of football. The down indicator 9 resembles the conventional down indicator used in the outdoor fame and isnumbered on its four sides from 1 to 4. In addition to the down indicator, scoring disks It! are provided. These disks are mounted in pairs'on the under side of the cover member 4 in such a manner that their peripheral portions may be exposed through apertures 4b provided in the cover member, as shown best in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Each pair of disks bears numbers.

In order to further simulate the outdoor game of football, there is provided a device for simulating the effect of kicking as in the kickoff and other kick plays during the game. This device comprises a stand H. The stand H is substantially U-shaped with its cross portion at the bo-ttorn and is provided with a series of notches Ha along one side. of a cross member I250 a chute l2. The chute i2 is in the form of a trough with a flat bottom portion and is adapted to be variously inclined depending on the notches into which the supporting rod or cross member lZa extends. The

chute and stand are of such size that they may] be placed'upon the game board conveniently. A football representing member I3 is used in conjunction with the chute. This member is in the form of a flat disk of oval form with an aperture 13a at its. central portion, as shown in Figs. 8

' and 8a.. The football representing member !3 is placed on the chute and snapped, with the fingers so as to be discharged from the upper end of the chute. 7

Each of the player members are intended to be These notches support by means moved a predetermined distance in one direc-' tion or another and during the scrimmage the members of both teams are moved in a manner analogous to the game of checkers or chess, except that the players may be blocked, taken out", etc., until the ball carrier is attacked thus ending the scrimmage, then the game members are lined up approximately as shown in Fig. 1 and so on. .In kicking the chute is placed in the desired position and the result of the kick is determined by the position occupied when the football representing member comes to rest, the aperture I311 being used to determine in which square the football representing member is to be placed. The box member 5 and ball 6 are used principally tosimulate the effect of the snapback and "pass and is placed inwardly from one end or the other of the rolling alley a distance commensurate with the distance the ball is to be snapped back or passed. V

The various elements of the game apparatus are such that rules for playing the game can be formed which closely approximate the rules and regulations for outdoor football. tically the only variation from a scale reduction of the outdoor game of football is the reduction in the represented number of square yards com prising the field, inasmuch as both the chute and the rolling alley tend to simulate the conditions of kick and snapback.

The rules and procedure of my table football game are as follows: Length of game." The game is usually limited to two halves of fifteen downs each. (Inasmuch as each play takes several minutes ordinarily.) Such. a game takes about the same time as a real game of football if a time limit of thirty seconds is enforced for each move, and since the field is shortened, there is about the same chance of scoring as in the real game. A kickoff or try for point is not counted as one of the above mentioned thirty downs.

Those desiring a shorter game can play with a real time limit as in real football, or they can reduce the number of plays in each half to as few as five. It is quite possible to score one or even two touchdowns in five plays. However,

In fact, practhe play in general would then run to passes and trick plays rather than to straight line plays which predominate when thereis sufiicient time. Those enthusiasts who desire a game as close as possible to the real game may use a board with a full size field and play a game with thirty downs to the quarter. However, they are very unlikely to finish such a game at one sitting.

Oba'ect of game The object of the game is to obtain a higher score than your opponent within the thirty downs or other limit mentioned above.

Methods of scoring There are four possible scores which may be obtained and three possible methods of obtaining them. First, and the one most frequently used, is carrying the ball over the opposing teams goal line (the broad last line at the end of the The second method of obtaining a score is by kicking the ball, according to the rules governing kicking laid down further on, over the goal behind the opponent's goal line. This is called a field goal and, if done successfully as part of a regular play, the team accomplishing it receives three points.

However, after every touchdown the teams line up on the two yard line and the team which made the touchdown is given a Try for point. The usual attempt is to kick a goal as explained above but an attempt to make another touchdown may also be made. Either attempt, if successful, results in the addition of one point to the score of the team making it. A successful try for point is called a conversion as it converts the touchdown score from six points to seven. It is the rule that if the defensive side incurs a penalty through some infraction of the rules, the conversion is allowed even if the actual attempt at conversion was unsuccessful. Similarly, if the offensive team (the team with the ball) is penalized, the conversion is not allowed even if the actual attempt was successful. An attempt at conversion is not counted as a down and a team making a touchdown always gets its try for point even if the play on which the touchdown was made would normally have been the last one of the game.

The third way to obtain a score is for a man on one team to down an opposing man with the ball behind the latters own goal line provided that the ball was sent behind the goal line by a man defending that goal. This is called a safety and counts two points for the team not having the ball. It is comparatively seldom that a team gets a chance to score in this way.

Moving men in ordinary play A player may move all, part, or none of his men during his move at his own option and they may be moved in any order desired.

If a man is once moved, his position may not be changed during that same move.

All men move the same. At the players option they may be moved either one, two, or three spaces straight ahead, straight sideways, or straight backwards, or any combination of these directions as long as the total number of squares traversed is not more than three. Also a man may be moved either one or two spaces diagonally or one space straight ahead, sideways, or backwards combined with one diagonally.

Example, in the accompanying diagram, the man represented by M may be moved to any of the squares marked X as long as it can be done without passing over a square already occupied.

NMMMN NMNNN NNNKNNN NNNNN NNNNN represented by M may not be moved to spaces 1 or 2. He may block or take out a man on space 3 but not one on space 4. The men represented by P may be men either on Ms team or the opposing team.

Moving after Icickofi After the kickoff, all men may be moved the flight of the ball straight ahead, backwards, or sideways, or any combination of these directions but not diagonally during this move. The flight of the ball for kicking is the distance in squares lengthwise down the field from the line of squares where it was kicked to the line of squares where it lands including the line of squares where it lands. The only restriction is that the man receiving the ball may participate in this move only to the extent of moving onto the square on. which the ball landed. The receiving side should move first to avoid confusion. After this move has been made by both sides, the team which kicked the ball may make a, move according to the regular rules and the play goes on in the regular manner until the ball carrier is tackled.

Moving after punts After any other kick the kick receiver may not be moved until that number of moves is made on each side which when multiplied by five will come closest to the flight of the ball. For example, suppose the ball traveled twenty-one yards. The kick is made as part of a regular move and therefore the offense or kicking team may move all men in accordance with the regular rules for moving besides making the kick. Then the receiving team makes a move, then the kicking, then the receiving, then the kicking, then the receiving, then the kicking, then the receiving, then the kicking. Now each side has made four moves when multiplied by five is nearer twenty-one than three or five would be. The next move belongs to the receiving team which at this point becomes the offense and the man who received the ball may now move for the first time. (Theoretically, until this point the ball was still in the air.) The play then goes on in the regular manner.

Blocking If a man, A, is on a square which if empty could be occupied by an opposing man, B, moving ac cording to the rules and if B is not closer to As goal line than A, B may be placed on top of A. Neither may then be moved while one is on the other. However, after the player to whom A belongs has made his next move or after any succeeding move by this player, he may remove B and place him on the square directly in front of his man if it is empty. Then, if he desires, he may move A on his next move thereafter.

An end or back being moved out for a forward pass or kick and not making interference for a ball carrier may not be'blocked.

A defensive man trying to intercept a pass or about tomake such attempt may not be blocked.

' Either of the above two acts constitute illegal interference.

The ball carrier may not block.

Example, in the following diagram A may be blocked by any opposing man, B, on any of the squares marked 2 and, if As team has the ball, by one on the square marked 1. After As side has made its next move, B may be taken off and placed on square 1 if that square is empty.

Direction of J A's goal line Taking out If a man,A, is on a square which if empty could be occupied by either of two opposing men moving according to the rules from squares not nearer to As goal line than that which A is occupying, the two latter may be placed on top of A and all three men removed from the board for the remainder of that play.

Example, in the diagram given above for blocking, A may be taken out by opposing men on any two of the squares marked 2 and, if As team has about to make such an attempt may not be taken out. 7

Either of the acts mentioned in the above two paragraphs constitute illegal interference.

The ball carrier may not take out.

No man who is on a team which takes out an opposing man and whowas nearer this opposing man than either of the two which were placed on him may occupy or move over the square formerly occupied by the saido-pposing man during the move in which that man was taken out.

A man on a square which has a side in common with that occupied by the above opposing man is considered nearer than one on a square which touches that square only at a corner.

' Example, in the following diagram, if A is taken out by men moving from the squares marked 2, men on the squares marked 1 may not occupy or move over As square during that same move. There are, of course, other instances where this rule applies besides that shown below.

Direction of As goal line It will be found that blocking and taking out are more often useful to the offense than the defense, although there are times when the defense will find them very useful.

Tackling If the ball carrier is on a square which if empty could be occupied by one of the men on defense moving according to the regular rules, the'latt'er aaaaa amma aaaeaaa ma ma amma Holding.

If an offensive man other than the one with the ball is occupying a square directly in front of a defensive man, he may not be moved. However, if he is an end or a back being moved out for a pass or kick and not making interference for the ball carrier, this rule will not apply as holding is illegal in such cases.

Example, in the accompanying diagram, the offensive man represented by O occupying the square directly in front of that occupied by the defensive man indicated by D may not be moved unless he is the ball carrier or an end or back going down for a pass or kick.

Direction of l D's goal line Starting the game reallytw'o options: namely, choice by a player as to whether his team shall kick, and choice of goals. The player winning'the toss may make one of these choices, that is, he may either choose to kick or receive or he may choose which goal he would rather defend. The other player may make the remaining cloice. At the beginning of the second half the choices are reversed so that the player who had second choice first hall will have first choice.

When it has been decided who shall kick off, as explained above, the team doing the kicking lines up as desired on its own ten yard line. The team receiving is scattered at the option of its player over its half of the field. The only restriction in placing the men of the receiving team is that at least five players must be beyond their own fifteen yard stripe and none may be beyond the twenty yard stripe.

The kickoff resented by placing the brown wooden oval provided in the adjustable kicking chute provided and snapping it with the finger toward the oppos ing goal line. The square where it stops is the square where the ball is received.

A hole will be noticed in the oval representin the ball. This is to facilitate determining what square the ball is in. The ball is considered to be in that square of which part is seen through this hole. If a dividing line is seen through the hole, the receiver may consider the ball to be on either one of the squares separated by that line.

After the kick, each side may move any or all of its men or less of the flight of the ball (the distance in squares toward the opposing goal line traversed by the ball including that on which it lands) either straight ahead, backwards, sideways, or any combination of these directions but not diagonally in this case. The only exception to this rule is that the man receiving the ball participates in this move only to the extent of moving onto the square on which the ball landed. The wooden oval and kicking chute are then removed from the board and the ball carrier is indicated by turning over the piece representing him so that the side with the brown oval is uppermost. All other pieces should have this side down. Then the team which kicked makes a regular move and the play goes on in the ordinary manner until the ball carrier is downed. The team which received the ball becomes the offense on its first ordinary move (the first move in which the ball carrier may be moved).

If the ball goes over the goal line on the kickoff, the receiving team puts it in play on its own ten yard line. There is no runback in this case.

If the ball goes outside (over the sideline between the goal lines) the kick is repeated. If it again goes outside, the team which would have received it puts it in play on its own fifteen yard line.

If the ball does not go past the twenty yard line the kickoff is made over.

Plays from scrimmage Now, after the kickoff, the side having the ball has a first down on the line where the ball carrier was stopped on the runback. This side must now make ten yards in four downs (or trys) or give up the ball to the opposing team on the line of squares where the ball carrier was stopped on the last down.

The men are separated and each player brings his own back behind the line where the ball was stopped. As the field in this model is only twenty yards wide, the ball is always brought back next to the center line to begin every play. Now the offense (the side having the ball) lines up with the pieces representing the linemen (those marked LE, LG, LT, C, RG, RT, RE) on the line of squares just behind the line of scrimmage (the line of squares where the ball carrierwas last stopped). The Center must be directly behind the ball. The oifense must have neither less nor more than seven men in this line. The remaining four men may be placed anywhere as long as they are not less than two squares behind the line of scrimmage. One of these four will receive the ball and become the ball carrier at least temporarily. The only other restriction is that the man who is to receive the ball must be in such a position that the ball is passed backwards from the Center at an angle of not more than 45 degrees to a line running lengthwise of the field through the Center. In other words the man who is to receive the ball must be at least diagonally behind the Center.

After the offense has been lined up, the defense is lined up. The defensive line also must be on the line of squares just behind the line of scrimmage. The defense also may not have more than seven men in line but it may have less if the defending player desires. Like the offense, the defense may place the remaining men anywhere he desires as long as they are not less than two squares behind the line of scrimmage.

After the defense has been lined up, the offense makes a move according to the regular rules for moving, then the defense, then the offense, and so on until the ball carrier is tackled. Then the men are lined up again and the attempt repeated.

Fumbles However, before the first move, the offensive player must try to shoot the marble provided into the moveable box in the runway on one side of the board. The shot must be made from the end of the rolling alley and, as it represents the snap-back of the ball, the distance the front of the box is set from the end of the rolling alley nearer the player making the shot is twice the number of squares the ball is passed back from the Center including that on which the ball carrier is placed. Thus, if the ball carrier is four spaces behind the line of scrimmage, the box must be set six spaces from the end of the runway. However, even if the prospective ball carrier is less than four spaces behind the line of scrimmage the box cannot be set closer than five spaces for the simple reason that it will not come any closer.

If the marble goes into the box, the snap-back is good. If it stops on the card in front of the box there is a fumble on the square indicated by that on which the marble stops. If the marble stops neither in the box nor on the card, the shot must be tried over.

In the case of a fumble, the ball goes to the free men who in or during a move after that in which the fumble occurred occupies the square where the fumbled ball is supposed to be resting. He may not move on before the next move after that in which he occupied the said square. A man who is blocking or being blocked and, if he has been tackled, the ball carrier and his tackler are not free men. If a blocker and blocked man occupy the square, the blocker may not recover and the blocked man may not until the blocker has been removed and he is free to move according to the regular rules. If the square is so occupied, the ball may not be recovered by any other man unless the men on it are taken out.

If the card indicates a fumble on the square ahead of the one on which the ball carrier is stopped, naturally, the play must be carried out as though there were no fumble. The fumble in this case is at what normally would be the end of the play.

If the offense has announced a kick before shooting, the stopping of the marble on this square is disregarded and the shot made over.

If the space on which the marble stops reads line of scrimmage the play must be carried out as though there were no fumble until the ball carrier is brought to the line of squares next to the line of scrimmage. The fumble is made at the end of this move on the square just in front of the one which the ball carrier occupies. Determination of what man gets the ball is then made according to the rules previously given.

If the ball carrier is tackled before he reaches the line of squares next to the line of scrimmage,

the fumbled ball lands on the square in front of that where he is tackled.

If the offense has announced a kick before shooting, the stopping of the marble on this square is disregarded and the shot made over.

If the offense has not announced a kick, he must use a running play if the two fumbles above discussedare indicated.

If the marble indicates a fumble of balls fiight behind line,- the flight may be an odd number. gIn that case /2 a square is counted as one for determining the square where the fumbled ball rests.

If the fumble is recovered by the offense, the man recovering becomes the ball carrier and may move on the move after the one in which he occupied the square having the ball just as if he had come to that square with the ball on the previous move without any fumble having been made.

If the fumble is recovered by the defense, the ball goes to the defense for the next play on the line of squares where the ball was recovered. The play counts as a down.

Running plays Probably, however, the snap-back will be good and in that case the offense will try to advance the ball; There are two ways of advancing the ball. The first and most common is by running with it. This is carried out in this game by moving the ball carrier (the man who received the ball from the Center and who is indicated by turning the piece over so that the side with the'brown oval is up) forward according to the regular rules for moving previously given. Of

course, while the offensive player is moving his "ball carrier forward he shouldprotect him as much as possible by taking out and blocking opposing men with his own men. The defense at the same time will try during its moves to block the path of the ball carrier and tackle the ball carrier, thus ending the play. This tackle is the first down. The line of squares on which the ball carrier was stopped is the line of scrimmage for the next play. When the defense tackles the ball carrier again in the next play, that will be second down. The end of the play after that will be third down and of the one thereafter will be fourth down. As before mentioned, if the square onv which the ball carrier is stopped on fourth down is not at least ten yards ahead of the line of scrimmage for the first down, the ball goes to the defense on that square and that team in turn must try to make ten yards in four downs. If during the fourth down or any previous down the offense gets the ball ten or more yards ahead of the line of scrimmage for the first down, the next play will be considered first down. The offense then again has four downs in which to advance the ball ten yards.

The forward pass The pass may be thrown either just ber the receiver is placed. If the marble goes into the box the pass is good. The receiving man is then turned with the brown oval up and the passer is turned brown oval down.

' If the marble comes to rest on the card in front of the box, the pass may be intercepted by the defense if the defense can on the next move send any man across the direct line of flight of the ball between the passer and the would-be receiver and if the square on which he crosses over is one from which he could in one move occupy that occupied by the passer or the intended receiver at the instant of the pass. The man who does this gets the ball and may run with it just as though he were any other ball carrier.

The defense must be allowed its chance for interception. The man attempting interception may not be blocked or taken out nor, if the 0ffense has a move after the pass was attempted, may his passage be obstructed by an offensive man.

Interference for a pass receiver by blocking or taking out is not permitted until the receiver ac tually has the ball.

' The actions in the above two paragraphs constitute illegal interference.

If the marble neither goes into the box nor stops on the card, the pass is incomplete. If the marble does stop on the card but no defensive man intercepts the pass, the pass is incomplete. An incomplete pass counts a down against the offense but the line of scrimmage remains the same as before the pass.

If a pass is incomplete, it as assumed to land on the first square beyond the would-be receiver,

the center of which is in a direct line with the centers of those on which the passer and receiver are placed, provided that this square is not so lo-' and the defense gets the ball. The defense then 7 becomes the offense and on the next play puts the ball in play on its own ten yard line.

The lateral pass The offense may make a lateral pass to any offensive man just before or just after any move (except that it may not be made before the first). However, a. lateral pass may not be made to a man nearer to the opposing goal line than the passer. The mechanics of a lateral pass are the same as those for the forward pass except that the box in the rolling alley is set twice the flight of the ball sideways and the rules for completion, interception, and incompletion are the same. However, if the pass is incomplete, it becomes a fumble on the first square beyond the would-be receiver the center of which is in a direct line with the centers of those on which the passer and would-be receiver are placed, provided that the would-be receiver could not occupy it in one move. If this square is off the board (or would be if the squares were extended sideways) the passing side receives the ball, unless it was fourth down, and the line of scrimmage for the next down is the line of squares in which the line through the centers of the squares on which the passer and would-be receiver are placed intersects the sideline. If this line of squares is behindthe passing teams goal line, a safety is scored againstthat team.

The punt Frequently a team will not make ten yards in the first three downs of a series and feel it to be possible that it would not make it on the fourth and last down. In such a case, teams usually choose to kick as the opposing team thereby usually obtains possession of the ball nearer its own goal line than it would if it got the ball on downs. The procedure is similar to that for the kickoff. The kick is made just before the second or later move by the offense or, if there has been a fumble, it is made just before any move after that in which the ball was recovered by the offense (if the offense did recover it). The man doing the kicking is temporarily removed from the board and the kicking chute placed with the front of the base at the front of the square on which the man was. The kick is made, the chute removed, the man replaced, and the move is completed. If on the move immediately after the kick was made, a defensive man occupies a square not more than four spaces away directly in front of that from which the kick was made, the kick is considered blocked and the ball goes to the man who blocked it on that square.

If the kick is good, all men may be moved that number of moves which when multiplied by five comes closest to the flight of the ball lengthwise of the field from the square from which the ball was kicked and including that on which it stops, except that the receiver participates only to the extent of occupying the square on which the ball landed. This is done by successive moves as explained under Moving after punts. Then the receiver may be moved until tackled.

If the kick goes over the goal line, the receiving team puts the ball in play on its own ten yard line.

If the kick goes over the side-line (out of bounds) the receiving team puts the ball in play on that line of squares which meets the sideline at the point where the ball went out.

The ball may not be recovered by any man on the side which kicked it unless it does not cross the line of scrimmage. In that case it may be recovered but may not be advanced and the kick counts as a play in the series of downs. This means that, if the kick were made on the fourth or last down, the receiving team would get the ball anyway wherever it landed even if it were recovered by the kicking team.

If the kick is made with the line of scrimmage not more than twenty yards fro-m the opposing goal line and the ball goes directly over the goal it is a field goal. On the kickoff after the goal, as after a touchdown, the team scored on has the choice of kicking or receiving.

The ball is put in play after an unsuccessful attempt at field goal by the same rules as after any other punt.

Time limit on moves In order to shorten the game, increase the resemblance to the real game, and to put a premium on quick thinking, a time limit for lining up or making a move of thirty seconds is recommended. However, time consumed in rolling and measuring on forward passes, laterals, kicking, or snap backs should not be counted, nor should time consumed in actually making a kick. While still learning to play, or in the case of players who wish to play a very scientific game and care little about the time consumed, this limit may well be lengthened or suspended.

The best means of measuring this interval would, of course, be a stop watch. However, an ordinary watch with a second hand will do very well. If neither are at hand, this time may be, measured conveniently and with sufficient accuracy by counting distinctly from 101 to 130 inclusive as follows: one hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three, etc/7 Putting ball in play after a safety After a safety, the team which was scored upon puts the ball in play by a free kick from its own five yard line. The arrangement of players is like that for a kickoff except that the kicking team lines up on the five yard line and the receiving team must have at least five men between the twenty yard line and the kickers goal but none closer than the fifteen yard line. However, the rulings after the kick is made are the same as for the punt except that if the kick does not go ten yards it is made over.

A free kick may also be made by a team' after it has received a punt if it did not run it back. In that case, the kicking team lines up on the line of squares on which the punt was caught. The receiving team scatters over the field. None may be closer than ten yards to the line of squares from which the ball is kicked but at least five must be less than fifteen yards from that line. A free kick is almost never seen except after a safety.

Penalties If a player moves a man, lines up, blocks, takes out, or tackles contrary to the rules or moves one man more than once in any one move his team is penalized five yards.

If a player exceeds the time limit in lining up or moving his men, his team is penalized five yards.

If a player after announcing a kick runs some other type of play, his team is penalized five yards.

If the defense is guilty of illegal interference on a forward pass play, the offense receives the ball at the point of the interference.

If the above penalties are levied against the offense, the down and point to be reached remain the same as before the play on which the penalty was called. If they are levied against the defense, the play on which it was called counts a down.

If the offense is guilty of illegal interference on a forward pass play, it is penalized ten yards and the play counts as a down.

If the offense makes a forward pass and the passer is less than five yards behind the line of scrimmage when the pass is made, the line of scrimmage for the next play is the same as for the last but the play counts as a down.

The side which benefits by the above penalties may refuse them.

If the offense makes a forward pass to an ineligible man, the ball goes to the opposing side with the line of scrimmage the same as that for the play in which the illegal pass was made. This penalty may not be refused but the defense may choose a touchback instead if the man for whom the pass was intended was within the defenses five yard line.

Measurement of penalties Penalties are measured from the line of scrimmage from which the play started during which the action was made which incurred the penalty except in the case of illegal interference With a pass receiver, when the offense gets the ball at the point of interference.

' A ball may not be placed closer than one yard to a goal line by a penalty. If the penalty would have placed the ball on or within the goal line, theball is placed on the one yard line.

Not more than one penalty is assessed against a teamfor any one play. However, if a team incurs two or more penalties, the offended team may choose which penalty will be enforced.

If both sides incur penalties during the same play, both are disregarded. 7

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction; combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate a football field, a plurality of game members equal in number to and representative of football players, said game board be ing divided into squares representing unit areas, said game members adapted to be moved about said game board in a manner suggestive of the game of checkers, a single rolling alley along oneside of said game board, a receiving means adapted to be variously positioned in said rolling alley intermediate its ends, and a ball member adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into said receiving means. a

2. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate afootball field, a plurality of game members equal in number to and representative of football players, said game board being divided into squares representing unit areas, said game members adapted to be moved about said game board in a manner suggestive of the game of checkers, a single rolling'alley along one side of said game board, a receiving meansadapted to be variously positioned in said rolling alley intermediate its ends, a ball member adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into said receiving means, a football representingmember, and means for causing flight of said football representing member over said game board.

3. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate a football field, a plurality of game members equal in number to and representative of football players, said game board being divided into squares representing unit areas, said game members adapted to be moved about said game board in a manner suggestive of the game of checkers, each of said game members having position designating indicia on one side ber adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into said receiving means. V 4. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate a football field, a plurality of game members equalin number to and representative of football players, said game board being divided into squares representing unit areas, said game members adapted to be moved about said game board in a manner suggestive of the game of checkers, each of said game members having position designating indicia on one side and means on the opposite side to identify the game member when it represents the football player carrying the football, a rolling alley associated with said game board, a receiving means adapted'to be variously positioned in said rolling alley and a ball member adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into: said receiving means.

5. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate a football field, a plurality of game members representing football players, said game members adapted to be moved about the game board to indicate substantially graphically the movements of the represented football players, a single rolling alley along .one side of said game board, a receiving means adapted to be variously positioned in said rolling alley intermediate its ends, and a ball member adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into said receiving means.

6. In a table football game, a game board marked to simulate a football field, a plurality of game members equal in number to and representative of football players, said game board.

being divided into squares representing unit about said game board in a manner suggestive V in said rolling alley intermediate its ends, and

a ball member adapted to be directed down the rolling alley into said receiving means, said receiving means comprising a ball receiving mem ber, a court forwardly thereof having ball receiving pockets therein.

WILLIAM M. WYLIE. 

